Original subtitles

reporter: FIDEL CASTRO COULD LEGITIMATELY BE REGARDED

AS EITHER A HERO OR AS A TYRANT OR AS BOTH AT THE SAME TIME.

Narrator: IN 1959, FIDEL CASTRO ROSE TO POWER IN CUBA.

Man: COMMANDER CASTRO, WHY ARE YOU LEADING A REVOLUTION?

Narrator: HE HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL FIGURES

IN THE WORLD EVER SINCE...

Narrator: A POLITICAL THORN IN THE SIDE OF THE UNITED STATES.

James C. Hagerty: OUR SYMPATHY GOES OUT TO THE PEOPLE OF CUBA

NOW SUFFERING UNDER THE YOLK OF A DICTATOR.

Narrator: THIS IS CASTRO'S STORY TOLD THROUGH MEDIA REPORTS...

Male announcer: FIDEL CASTRO, "FACE THE NATION."

Narrator: RARE IMAGES...

AND RECORDINGS.

Male reporter: FIDEL CASTRO BELIEVED THE CIA

HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN A SERIES OF PLOTS ON HIS LIFE.

Narrator: SOME OF THIS MATERIAL HAS NEVER BEEN BROADCAST.

SOME OF IT HAS NOT BEEN SEEN IN DECADES.

Stuart Novins: DR. CASTRO, YOU ARE A LAWYER,

AND I'M AFRAID I WILL HAVE TO ACT AS A JUDGE.

WE'D LIKE YOU TO ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS.

THERE ARE THEORIES THAT YOU HELD

PRESIDENT KENNEDY RESPONSIBLE

AND THAT YOU WERE INVOLVED IN HIS ASSASSINATION.

DID YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT?

Male announcer: THIS PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART

BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATIONS FROM...

Narrator: CUBA, THE LATE 1950s.

FOR TOURISTS, CUBA IS AN EXOTIC LAND OF WONDER--

GAMBLING CASINOS, RESTAURANTS, LUXURY HOTELS, SWIMMING POOLS,

AND MILES OF PRISTINE BEACHES.

[MAN SINGING IN SPANISH]

JUST 90 MILES FROM THE UNITED STATES,

CUBA IS A PLAYGROUND FOR AMERICANS...

BUT FOR MANY CUBANS,

LIFE ON THE ISLAND IS NO PARADISE.

IN ISLAND'S INTERIOR, FAR FROM WHERE TOURISTS STAY,

POVERTY RUNS RAMPANT.

THE EDUCATION AND HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS ARE POOR.

LIVING CONDITIONS RIVAL THOSE OF ANY THIRD-WORLD COUNTRY.

MUCH OF THE BLAME FOR THE NATION'S VAST DICHOTOMY

BETWEEN RICH AND POOR CAN BE LAID AT THE FEET OF ONE MAN--

CUBA'S PRESIDENT.

Male reporter: FULGENCIO BATISTA--

FORMER ARMY SERGEANT, FORMER GENERAL--

HOLDS THE REIGNS OF POWER AS BACKED BY THE ARMY

AND BY THOSE WHO FAVOR GOVERNMENT BY A STRONG MAN.

BATISTA DENIES HE IS A DICTATOR

AND SAYS SOME OF HIS OPPONENTS ARE PRO-COMMUNIST,

BUT HIS STRONG-ARM METHODS AND THE CONSTANT THREAT OF INFLATION

HAVE KEPT POLITICAL OPPOSITION BUBBLING.

Narrator: IT'S ESTIMATED BY HIS RIVALS

THAT DURING BATISTA'S REIGN,

MORE THAN 20,000 POLITICAL DISSIDENTS HAVE BEEN KILLED.

THE MOUNTAINS OF EASTERN CUBA.

AFTER YEARS OF FIGHTING,

IT IS HERE THAT THE RAGING OF REVOLUTION

THUNDERS THROUGH THE JUNGLE CANOPY.

MEN AND WOMEN HAVE TAKEN UP ARMS

AND LAUNCHED A BLOODY GUERILLA WAR.

TO THEM, BATISTA HAS DESTROYED CUBA.

THEIR GOAL IS TO OUST HIM FROM POWER.

THEIR LEADER IS A CHARISMATIC CUBAN

WHO SAYS HE WILL FIGHT TO THE DEATH

TO LIBERATE THE PEOPLE OF CUBA.

HIS NAME IS FIDEL CASTRO.

Male reporter: THIS IS DR. FIDEL CASTRO, 31,

HOLDER OF 4 UNIVERSITY DEGREES.

WE FINALLY GET OUR NEWS CAMERAS INTO CASTRO'S HEADQUARTERS.

Narrator: CASTRO'S TOP LIEUTENANTS

ARE ARGENTINEAN-BORN CHE GUEVARA...

[SPEAKING SPANISH]

Narrator: WHO PARTICIPATED

IN AN UNSUCCESSFUL REVOLUTION IN GUATEMALA...

AND HIS BROTHER RAUL CASTRO, AN AVOWED COMMUNIST.

[SPEAKING SPANISH]

Narrator: FIDEL CASTRO IS THE SON OF A CUBAN SUGAR FARMER

AND COMES FROM AN UPPER MIDDLE CLASS BACKGROUND.

HE IS ONE OF SEVEN CHILDREN.

EVEN AT A YOUNG AGE, CASTRO IS BRASH,

OUTSPOKEN, AND WILLING TO TAKE RISKS.

CASTRO ATTENDS A JESUIT BOARDING SCHOOL

AND EARNS A LAW DEGREE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF HAVANA.

HE BECOMES EMBOLDENED BY NATIONALISTIC PHILOSOPHIES.

IN 1952, CASTRO RUNS FOR CONGRESS TO HELP IMPROVE CUBA,

BUT BEFORE ELECTIONS ARE HELD,

BATISTA TAKES POWER IN A MILITARY COUP.

IN RESPONSE,

CASTRO GATHERS A GROUP OF ANTI-BASTISTA REVOLUTIONARIES.

THEY PLAN AN ATTACK ON THE MILITARY BARRACKS IN MONCADA.

CASTRO BELIEVES BY TAKING THE BARRACKS,

THEY WILL ACQUIRE ENOUGH WEAPONS

TO BEGIN AN UPRISING AGAINST BATISTA.

THE RAID TAKES PLACE AT DAWN ON JULY 26, 1953.

CASTRO WILL USE THIS DATE, JULY 26,

AS THE MONIKER FOR HIS FUTURE REVOLUTION.

THE ATTACK IS QUICKLY PUT DOWN.

MANY OF THE REBELS ARE KILLED.

CASTRO AND DOZENS OF OTHERS ARE CAPTURED.

AT HIS TRIAL, CASTRO UTTERS A PHRASE

THAT WILL COME TO DEFINE HIM--

"HISTORY WILL ABSOLVE ME."

CASTRO IS SENTENCED TO 15 YEARS IN PRISON.

TWO YEARS LATER, BATISTA BUCKLES TO INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE

AND RELEASES POLITICAL PRISONERS, INCLUDING CASTRO

AND THE OTHERS WHO ATTACKED THE MONCADA BARRACKS.

IN 1958, THEY GATHER AGAIN IN THE SIERRA MAESTRA MOUNTAINS

TO FIGHT BATISTA'S SOLDIERS.

SO WHAT DO YOU SEEK TO ACCOMPLISH

IN COMING HERE, AND WHAT DO YOU FEEL

THAT YOU ARE ACCOMPLISHING

BY BEING HERE IN THESE REMOTE MOUNTAINS?

Narrator: CASTRO'S LEADERSHIP IS PRECISE.

HE STATIONS SCOUTS THROUGHOUT THE MOUNTAINS.

THE REBELS ALWAYS KNOW WHERE BATISTA'S SOLDIERS ARE,

AND THE SOLDIERS HAVE NO IDEA WHERE CASTRO IS HIDING.

[EXPLOSIONS AND GUNFIRE]

Narrator: UP UNTIL THIS POINT,

THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT HAS SUPPORTED THE BATISTA REGIME,

BUT WITH WORLD ATTENTION NOW FOCUSED

ON BATISTA'S STRONG-ARMED RULE,

THE UNITED STATES WITHDRAWS ITS SUPPORT.

IT WILL NOT BACK BATISTA OR CASTRO'S REVOLUTIONARIES.

Male reporter: THE UNITED STATES HAS EMBARGOED ARMS

FOR BOTH SIDES.

OCCASIONAL SHIPMENTS ARE SMUGGLED THROUGH

FROM REBEL SYMPATHIZERS.

IT IS AN UNEQUAL BATTLE OF IDEALISTS

AGAINST TOUGH, PROFESSIONAL FORCES.

SAYS CASTRO, "IF I LOSE, I'LL START OVER AGAIN.

IF BATISTA LOSES, HE LOSES FOR GOOD."

CUBA'S STRONGMAN SEEMS UNTROUBLED

BY CASTRO'S MOUNTING OFFENSIVE.

BEHIND BATISTA STAND THE ARMY, THE POLICE,

AND, APPARENTLY, CUBA'S LABOR UNIONS.

BATISTA SEEMED UPSET ABOUT REPORTS IN THE AMERICAN PRESS

OF POLICE BRUTALITY AND CORRUPTION

BUT CONFIDENT IN THE FACE OF AN UNPREDICTABLE FUTURE.

Narrator: AFTER MONTHS OF FIGHTING,

REVOLUTIONARY FORCES WAGE A BATTLE FOR THREE DAYS

BEFORE MAKING A MOVE INTO HAVANA.

THE FINAL HOLDOUTS OF BATISTA'S SOLDIERS

ARE DRIVEN FROM THE CITY.

CASTRO'S RAGGED BAND OF REVOLUTIONARIES,

EXHAUSTED FROM THREE YEARS OF NONSTOP FIGHTING,

STORM THE CAPITAL.

THEIR STRUGGLE TO REMOVE BATISTA FROM POWER

IS ABOUT TO COME TO AN END.

Herbert Kaplow: NEW YEAR'S EVE IN HAVANA.

FIGHTING WAS REPORTED IN LOS VILLAS PROVINCE

BETWEEN THE SOLDIERS OF FULGENCIO BATISTA

AND REBEL UNITS.

A FEW HOURS LATER, 4 A.M. HAVANA TIME NEW YEAR'S MORNING,

A PHONE CALL AND THE REPORT FULGENCIO BATISTA

AND HIS COTERIE HAD FLED IN SURRENDER.

Male reporter: FROM HIS STRONGHOLD

IN THE WILD SIERRA MAESTRA MOUNTAINS,

CUBA'S FIDEL CASTRO EMERGED TRIUMPHANT AFTER TWO YEARS

OF GUERILLA WARFARE AGAINST THE BATISTA REGIME.

A REVOLUTION THAT BEGAN WITH CASTRO A FUGITIVE,

PRACTICALLY ALONE, LANDING WITH 82 FOLLOWERS,

AND NEARLY WIPED OUT BY GOVERNMENT FORCES

ENDED WITH THE FLIGHT OF DICTATOR FULGENCIO BATISTA

AND THE ENTRY INTO HAVANA OF REBEL FORCES

TO BE ACCLAIMED BY THE CITY.

IN HIS LIFETIME, THE BEARDED, CIGAR-SMOKING IDEALIST

HAS BECOME A LEGEND.

FOR MOST CUBANS, THIS IS THE FIRST GLIMPSE OF THE MAN

WHOSE NAME BECAME A BYWORD

DURING 25 MONTHS OF GUERILLA FIGHTING.

IT'S A SIMPLE MATTER TO KNOW WHEN A REVOLUTION HAS BEGUN.

IT'S NOT SO EASY TO KNOW WHEN A REVOLUTION HAS ENDED.

THIS HAS BEEN, AND IS, THE REVOLUTION OF FIDEL CASTRO.

Narrator: THE CUBAN PEOPLE ADMIRE CASTRO

BECAUSE HIS RISE TO POWER IS NOT FROM A MILITARY COUP D'ETAT,

BUT A POPULAR REVOLUTION.

CASTRO IS A DYNAMIC SPEAKER.

HE'S PERSUASIVE AND FILLED WITH FIRE.

Male reporter: HE'S ABUNDANTLY ENDOWED WITH THE HIGH CONFIDENCE

AND THE HUMILITY OF A BIBLICAL PROPHET.

Male reporter: FIDEL CASTRO WITH THE DOVES OF PEACE

SITTING ON HIS SHOULDERS AS HE SURVEYS THE CROWD

THAT IS TONIGHT CELEBRATING CUBA LIBRE.

Announcer: FIDEL CASTRO,

"FACE THE NATION."

IN THE EARLY HOURS OF YESTERDAY MORNING,

THIS WAS THE SCENE IN THE STUDIO

OF TELEVISION STATION CMQ IN HAVANA, CUBA.

Novins: DR. CASTRO, COULD YOU TELL US WHAT YOUR OPINION IS

OF UNITED STATES POLICY DURING THIS PERIOD OF YOUR REVOLUTION?

Novins: THAT'S ALL WE WANT.

[LAUGHTER]

Narrator: DESPITE HIS CRITICISM,

CASTRO WANTS TO MAINTAIN GOOD RELATIONS WITH THE U.S.,

BUT THAT DOES NOT STOP HIM

FROM ENACTING BRUTAL REPRISALS AT HOME.

IN THE MONTHS FOLLOWING CASTRO'S RISE TO POWER,

HUNDREDS OF BATISTA'S LOYALISTS ARE PUT ON TRIAL,

SOMETIMES IN HAVANA'S SPORTS PALACE.

Male reporter: BATISTA AIDE MAJOR SOSA BLANCO,

CHARGED WITH 200 MURDERS, FACES A MILITARY TRIBUNAL,

THREE JUDGES STILL WEARING

THE REVOLUTIONARY'S JUNGLE BATTLE DRESS.

SAYS BLANCO OF THE CROWD, "I AM IN A ROMAN COLISEUM."

45 WITNESSES COME FORWARD

TO TELL OF ACTS OF BRUTALITY AND MURDER.

MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN TESTIFY.

THE DECISION IS DEATH.

Narrator: NEARLY 500 OF THEM ARE FOUND GUILTY.

THEY ARE EXECUTED BY FIRING SQUAD.

[GUNSHOTS]

SHORTLY AFTER THE EXECUTIONS, NEARLY AILLION CUBANS SHOW UP

FOR A SPEECH BY CASTRO TO DEFEND THE KILLINGS,

SAYING NO NATION STOOD UP FOR HIS COUNTRY'S PEOPLE

DURING THE ATROCITIES COMMITTED BY BATISTA.

Narrator: IN AN EFFORT TO SWAY PUBLIC OPINION,

CASTRO BEGINS A TOUR OF NATIONS IN SOUTH AND NORTH AMERICA

STARTING IN APRIL 1959.

HUGE CROWDS SHOW UP TO SEE CASTRO,

WHO IS NOW A SYMBOL OF REVOLUTION.

HIS REPUTATION SOARS AS A POPULIST LEADER.

FIDEL CASTRO ACCEPTS AN INVITATION

FROM THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NEWSPAPER EDITORS

AND VISITS THE UNITED STATES,

EVEN THOUGH BATISTA LOYALISTS IN AMERICA WANT HIM DEAD.

Announcer: A TUMULTUOUS WELCOME FOR FIDEL CASTRO.

CHEERING, SINGING, FLAG-WAVING CROWD OF THOUSAND

GREETS THE CUBAN REVOLUTIONARY LEADER AND PREMIER

AS ON ARRIVAL, HE PUSHES PAST POLICE AND SECURITY GUARDS

TO RETURN THE ENTHUSIASTIC GREETING,

DESPITE RUMORS OF ASSASSINATION PLOTS AGAINST HIM.

Narrator: CASTRO IS HUGELY POPULAR

WITH THE AMERICAN PUBLIC.

ALONG WITH HIS IMMENSE CHARISMA,

HE IS SEEN AS AN ISLAND VERSION OF ROBIN HOOD

WHO HAS BROUGHT FREEDOM TO AN OPPRESSED PEOPLE.

DESPITE CASTRO'S POPULARITY WITH THE AMERICAN PUBLIC,

THE GOVERNMENT IS WARY

OF THE CUBAN REVOLUTIONARY'S COMMUNIST LEANINGS.

Announcer: OUTSIDE PENN STATION, POLICE BREAK UP A DEMONSTRATION

BY A FEW SUPPORTERS OF CUBA'S OUSTED DICTATOR BATISTA,

AND CASTRO, IN A RECORD SLOW TIME OF 24 MINUTES,

CROSSES THE STREET TO HIS HOTEL

ALMOST SWAMPED BY THE EXCITED CROWD.

IT'S ONE OF NEW YORK'S MOST ENTHUSIASTIC RECEPTIONS

FOR A VISITING NOTABLE IN QUITE A WHILE.

Narrator: THOUGH CASTRO CONDEMNS THE U.S.

FOR SUPPLYING ARMS TO THE BATISTA GOVERNMENT,

HE ATTEMPTS TO MAKE PEACE WITH AMERICA.

Lawrence: OUR GUEST LIKES RIFLES AND CIGARS.

AS A VERY YOUNG BOY, HE TOOK UP A TYPICAL CUBAN SPORT--

THE BREEDING OF FIGHTING COCKS.

IT IS MY PLEASURE TO PRESENT YOU DR. FIDEL CASTRO.

[APPLAUSE]

YOU HAVE SAID, SIR, THAT DICTATORSHIP IS IMPOSSIBLE

IF PUBLIC OPINION APPROVES.

DID NOT HITLER, MUSSOLINI, AND PERON HAVE PUBLIC SUPPORT?

Lawrence: MR. PRIME MINISTER,

WHAT IS YOUR IMPRESSION OF VICE PRESIDENT NIXON?

[LAUGHTER]

Narrator: NIXON HAS A DIFFERENT OPINION.

WHILE IN WASHINGTON, U.S. PRESIDENT

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER AVOIDS MEETING WITH CASTRO.

INSTEAD, HE SENDS VICE PRESIDENT NIXON

TO MEET WITH THE CUBAN LEADER.

NIXON'S OPINION OF CASTRO?

"HE NEEDS TO BE WATCHED CAREFULLY."

Male reporter: YOU WON A REVOLUTION BEFORE, SIR,

AGAINST GREAT ODDS.

NOW YOU'RE FIGHTING WHAT MIGHT BE CALLED A SOCIAL REVOLUTION.

WILL THIS BE MORE DIFFICULT?

Narrator: BECAUSE THE BATISTA GOVERNMENT

HAD LOOTED CUBA'S TREASURY,

THE LEADERS OF THE REVOLUTION DISCOVER

THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO RUN THE GOVERNMENT.

THOUGH THE U.S. PUBLIC HAS EMBRACED CASTRO,

THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT DOESN'T TRUST HIM,

FEARING HE IS A COMMUNIST,

AND THOUGH HE INITIALLY HAD SAID HIS COUNTRY

DID NOT NEED HELP FROM THE UNITED STATES,

CASTRO REALIZES CUBA CANNOT SURVIVE

IN ITS CURRENT CONDITION,

BUT THE U.S. REFUSES TO GIVE CUBA ANY ADDITIONAL AID.

INSTEAD, CASTRO TURNS TO THE SOVIET UNION FOR HELP,

FURTHER STOKING THE FIRES OF THE COLD WAR

BETWEEN THE SOVIETS AND THE UNITED STATES.

Male reporter: IN JANUARY 1960, THE SOVIET DEPUTY PREMIER

ANASTAS MIKOYAN CAME TO HAVANA.

THE STAGE HAD BEEN SET FOR HIM.

MIKOYAN OPENED A RUSSIAN TRADE FAIR.

HE DISCUSSED DEALS WITH CUBA.

BY THE TIME HE HAD PUT THIS HAT ON HIS HEAD,

HE HAD THE CUBAN ECONOMY IN HIS POCKET.

IN MOSCOW, AN AGREEMENT WAS SIGNED

FOR THE EXCHANGE FOR SOVIET MACHINERY AND TECHNICIANS

FOR CUBA'S SUGAR AND OTHER BIG-MONEY CROPS.

Narrator: U.S. PRESIDENT EISENHOWER

THREATENS TO CUT CUBAN SUGAR QUOTAS TO THE UNITED STATES.

A THIRD OF THAT SUGAR

IS PRODUCED BY AMERICAN-CONTROLLED COMPANIES.

THE SOVIET UNION AGREES TO PURCHASE

ONE MILLION TONS OF CUBAN SUGAR ANNUALLY.

Male reporter: FIDEL CASTRO,

IN A BITTER, ANTI-AMERICAN SPEECH LAST NIGHT,

WARNED AGAINST THE UNITED STATES CUTTING CUBAN SUGAR QUOTAS,

THREATENING TO TAKE OVER AMERICAN-OWNED SUGAR MILLS,

BUT THE RULES COMMITTEE OF THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

TODAY CLEARED FOR FLOOR ACTION A BILL TO GIVE THE PRESIDENT

THE AUTHORITY HE WANTS TO REDUCE THE MARKETING

OF CUBAN SUGAR IN THIS COUNTRY.

Narrator: AFTER A MONTHS-LONG POWER STRUGGLE,

EISENHOWER BANS ALL SUGAR IMPORTS FROM CUBA.

IN RESPONSE, CASTRO SEIZES ALL U.S. COMPANIES IN HIS COUNTRY.

Tom St. John Barry: SUGAR BY THE TRAINLOAD,

THE MAIN CROP AND THE MAIN BONE OF CONTENTION WITH THE USA.

MANY COMMUNIST BLOC COUNTRIES HAVE PROMISED

TO TAKE CUBAN SUGAR IN EXCHANGE FOR THE THINGS CASTRO NEEDS.

IT LOOKED EASY.

SO I THOUGHT I'D CUT A CANE OR TWO FOR CASTRO MYSELF.

YOU HOLD THAT JUST LIKE THAT, JUST THERE.

LET ME HAVE A SWING AT THIS.

CUT IT THAT WAY?

YES, THAT WAY.

OOH, MADE IT IN ONE.

CAN I HAVE THAT FOR A MOMENT?

YOU KNOW, THIS COULD COST ME MY AMERICAN VISA.

[BELL RINGING]

Narrator: AFTER MONTHS OF CASTRO SEIZING AMERICAN BUSINESSES,

THE UNITED STATES ENACTS A TRADE EMBARGO AGAINST CUBA.

THAT EMBARGO STILL EXISTS TODAY.

THERE'S A LIMIT TO WHAT THE UNITED STATES

IN SELF-RESPECT CAN ENDURE.

THAT LIMIT HAS NOW BEEN REACHED.

OUR SYMPATHY GOES OUT TO THE PEOPLE OF CUBA

NOW SUFFERING UNDER THE YOLK OF A DICTATOR.

Narrator: SECRETLY, THE UNITED STATES

LOOKS FOR A WAY TO REMOVE CASTRO FROM POWER,

BUT THE U.S. DOES NOT WANT ITS OWN TROOPS INVADING CUBA.

INSTEAD, PRESIDENT JOHN KENNEDY

AGREES TO HAVE U.S. MILITARY ADVISORS TRAIN CUBAN EXILES,

THEIR GOAL-- TO INVADE CUBA AT A SMALL COVE

ON THE ISLAND'S SOUTH SIDE CALLED THE BAY OF PIGS

AND REMOVE CASTRO FROM POWER.

Announcer: THIS IS AN NBC SPECIAL NEWS REPORT.

CUBA TONIGHT IS AN ISLAND IN REVOLT.

AGAINST THE REVOLUTIONARY FORCES OF PRIME MINISTER FIDEL CASTRO,

ANOTHER REVOLT HAS BEGUN, AND CASTRO'S STRANGE

AND WILD CAREER MAY BE APPROACHING AN END.

IT IS ADVISABLE TO SAY "MAY BE" BECAUSE EVERYTHING WILL DEPEND

ON WHETHER THE PEOPLE OF CUBA AND THE ARMY

ARE LOYAL TO CASTRO.

Male reporter: DAWN, MONDAY, APRIL 17,

BAY OF PIGS, CUBA.

THE FIRST UNITS OF THE BRIGADE

REACH THE BEACH WITHOUT OPPOSITION.

AMONG THEM IS HUMBERTO DIAZ ARGUILLES

OF THE SECOND BATTALION, 8th COMPANY.

Arguilles: A SOLDIER FROM THE REAR YELLED,

"WE ARE AN ARMY OF LIBERATION.

WE CAME TO FIGHT COMMUNISM."

THE MILITIAMAN ANSWERED,

"FATHERLAND OR DEATH. LONG LIVE FIDEL CASTRO,"

AND THE SHOOTING BEGAN.

Male reporter: THE ASSAULT HAS BEGUN

ON THE DICTATORSHIP OF FIDEL CASTRO.

LANDINGS WERE EFFECTED BY REBELS AT SEVERAL PLACES

ON THE CUBAN COAST, AND THE REBELLION

AGAINST THE RED-SKINNED DICTATOR WAS ON.

Narrator: THE INVADING TROOPS RECEIVE NO SUPPORT

FROM THE PEOPLE OF CUBA, DOOMING HOPES

THAT THE EXILES CAN WIN THROUGH A POPULAR UPRISING.

MORE THAN 1,400 CUBAN EXILE SOLDIERS INVADE THE ISLAND.

DOZENS OF THEM ARE KILLED, AND THE REST ARE TAKEN PRISONER.

Male reporter: AT 3:45 P.M.,

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, RESISTANCE ENDS.

IN LESS THAN 72 HOURS,

CASTRO HAS DESTROYED THE BRIGADE.

THE AMERICAN-PLANNED, FINANCED, TRAINED,

AND BACKED INVASION OF CUBA IS NOW A TOTAL FAILURE.

Narrator: FOR MANY CUBANS,

CASTRO'S REVOLUTION IS WRONG FROM THE START,

BUT MOST ARE AFRAID TO SPEAK OUT,

FEARING THEY WILL BE ARRESTED OR KILLED.

GOOD EVENING.

EACH WEEK, ALMOST 2,000 CUBANS

FIND THEY HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF CASTRO.

SO THEY GET OUT AND COME TO MIAMI, FLORIDA.

THE CUBANS GENERALLY ADVOCATE A RETURN HOME

BY MILITARY INVASION WITH AMERICAN HELP,

BUT THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF ANY PLAN TO TRY THAT AGAIN.

SO WHILE THEY WAIT FOR SOMETHING TO HAPPEN, THEY JUST WAIT.

Manola Reyes: THEY WANT TO STAY HERE TO HELP IN ANY MOMENT

WITH A GUN, WITH A RIFLE TO FIGHT AGAINST FIDEL CASTRO.

Narrator: AND IT'S THOSE REFUGEES

THAT GIVE THE UNITED STATES NEWS THAT CASTRO HAS MADE A DEAL

WITH PREMIER NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV OF THE SOVIET UNION.

THE EXILES SAY THE SOVIETS

ARE BRINGING MORE THAN ECONOMIC AID TO CUBA.

THEY ARE BRINGING WEAPONS.

Ken Brown: JUST A FEW MOMENTS AGO,

WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY PIERRE SALINGER

INDICATED THAT MR. KENNEDY'S REMARKS

WILL CONCERN A MATTER OF THE HIGHEST NATIONAL URGENCY.

WE DO KNOW ALSO THAT THE PRESIDENT

HAS BEEN MEETING WITH HIGH OFFICIALS OF THE GOVERNMENT

THROUGHOUT THIS DAY IN AN ATMOSPHERE OF NEAR CRISIS.

OK. NOW WE'RE READY.

HERE FROM HIS OFFICE IN THE WHITE HOUSE,

THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

Kennedy: THIS GOVERNMENT, AS PROMISED,

HAS MAINTAINED THE CLOSEST SURVEILLANCE

OF THE SOVIET MILITARY BUILD-UP ON THE ISLAND OF CUBA.

WITHIN THE PAST WEEK, UNMISTAKABLE EVIDENCE

HAS ESTABLISHED THE FACT THAT A SERIES

OF OFFENSIVE MISSILE SITES IS NOW IN PREPARATION

ON THAT IMPRISONED ISLAND.

THE PURPOSE OF THESE BASES CAN BE NONE OTHER THAN TO PROVIDE

A NUCLEAR STRIKE CAPABILITY AGAINST THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE.

I CALL UPON CHAIRMAN KHRUSHCHEV TO HALT AND ELIMINATE

THIS CLANDESTINE, RECKLESS,

AND PROVOCATIVE THREAT TO WORLD PEACE.

Narrator: IN RESPONSE, THE UNITED STATES

BEGINS A NAVAL BLOCKADE OF THE ISLAND

STOPPING AND SEARCHING ALL SHIPS BOUND FOR CUBA.

Richard Valeriani: HAVANA RADIO SAID TONIGHT

THAT CUBA'S ARMED FORCES HAVE BEEN PUT

ON AN IMMEDIATE 24-HOUR ALERT

FOLLOWING PRESIDENT KENNEDY'S SPEECH.

THIS IS HIS FIRST PUBLIC REACTION

TO THE AMERICAN ARMS BLOCKADE, AND CASTRO IS BITTERLY ANGRY.

HE SAID THE UNITED STATES UNDERTOOK THE BLOCKADE

BECAUSE ALL ITS OTHER EFFORTS

TO DESTROY THE CUBAN REVOLUTION HAVE FAILED.

[CASTRO SPEAKING SPANISH]

[APPLAUSE]

THE HOPES OF MANKIND ARE CONCENTRATED IN THIS ROOM.

THE ACTION WE TAKE MAY DETERMINE THE FUTURE OF CIVILIZATION.

Robert McNamara: I HAVE TAKEN THE NECESSARY STEPS

TO DEPLOY OUR FORCES TO BE IN A POSITION

TO MAKE EFFECTIVE THE QUARANTINE

AT 2 P.M. TOMORROW GREENWICH TIME.

Narrator: OVER THE NEXT WEEK,

KENNEDY AND KHRUSHCHEV SEND LETTERS BACK AND FORTH,

EACH DEMANDING THE OTHER BACK DOWN.

THE TURNING POINT IN THE CRISIS COMES ON OCTOBER 27.

PRESIDENT KENNEDY AGREES NOT TO INVADE CUBA

AND PROPOSES TO PULL U.S. MISSILES OUT OF TURKEY

IF KHRUSHCHEV REMOVES HIS MISSILES FROM CUBA.

A DAY LATER, KHRUSHCHEV ACCEPTS THE OFFER

WITHOUT CONSULTING CASTRO.

CASTRO IS FURIOUS THAT HE IS CUT OUT OF THE CONVERSATION.

WE WILL NOT, OF COURSE, ABANDON THE POLITICAL, ECONOMIC,

AND OTHER EFRTS OF THIS HEMISPHERE

TO HALT SUBVERSION FROM CUBA NOR OUR PURPOSE AND HOPE

THAT THE CUBAN PEOPLE SHALL SOMEDAY BE TRULY FREE.

Narrator: DESPITE KENNEDY'S DECLARATION

THAT CASTRO MUST MAKE HIS PEOPLE "TRULY FREE,"

YEARS PASS WITH NO CHANGE.

Male reporter: CUBA IS SEPARATED FROM THE UNITED STATES

BY 90 MILES OF OCEAN AND 15 YEARS OF HISTORY.

GEOGRAPHICALLY NEAR,

CUBA IDEOLOGICALLY FORMS PART OF ANOTHER WORLD.

FIDEL CASTRO IS ITS ONE FAMILIAR FIGURE.

DYNAMIC, ELOQUENT, AUTHORITARIAN,

HE'S A MAN WHO COULD LEGITIMATELY BE REGARDED

AS EITHER A HERO OR AS A TYRANT OR AS BOTH AT THE SAME TIME.

Tom Streithorst: IT HAS BEEN TWO YEARS

SINCE OUR LAST VISIT TO CUBA.

WHAT WE FOUND NEW

WERE A MARGINAL INCREASE IN THE LIVING STANDARD

WITH SIGNS THAT THIS MIGHT GET BETTER STILL,

A GROWING RELIANCE ON THE SOVIET UNION

AS A MODEL IN ALL THINGS ECONOMIC.

WHAT WE DIDN'T FIND WERE ANY INDICATION

OF A RELAXATION IDEOLOGICALLY.

THIS REGIME IS BASED ON MASS MOBILIZATION

AND THOUGHT CONTROL.

OUTSIDE THE FRAMEWORK OF MARXISM-LENINISM,

FREEDOM OF THOUGHT JUST DOESN'T EXIST.

IT'S AN UNWANTED RELIC OF THE PAST.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE AMERICANS

TO KNOW ABOUT YOU AND CUBA,

AND COULD YOU POSSIBLY SAY IT IN ENGLISH

SO THEY COULD UNDERSTAND?

IN ENGLISH?

I AM NOT WELL IN ENGLISH.

WELL, THEN IN SPANISH.

GOOD WISH FOR THE PEOPLE TO THE UNITED STATES.

GOOD WISHES.

WISH OF UNDERSTANDING.

WISH OF FRIENDSHIP.

I UNDERSTAND IT IS NOT EASY

BECAUSE WE BELONG TO TWO DIFFERENT WORLDS.

WE ARE NEIGHBORS,

AND IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER,

WE OUGHT TO LIVE IN PEACE,

UNITED STATES AND CUBA.

Narrator: THOUGH CASTRO IS FIRMLY ENTRENCHED

AS CUBA'S LEADER, NEWS OF CONTINUING EFFORTS

BY THE UNITED STATES TO DO AWAY WITH HIM BECOMES PUBLIC.

SENATOR GEORGE McGOVERN, WHO RECENTLY VISITED CUBA,

TOLD A NEWS CONFERENCE TODAY THAT FIDEL CASTRO BELIEVED

THE CIA HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN A SERIES OF PLOTS ON HIS LIFE.

Female reporter: OVER A PERIOD OF SEVERAL YEARS

IN THE EARLY SIXTIES, CONGRESSIONAL INVESTIGATORS

DETERMINED THAT THERE WERE AT LEAST

8 CIA-LED ATTEMPTS TO KILL FIDEL CASTRO.

Narrator: WHEN CASTRO ROSE TO POWER,

TWO OF THE PROMISES HE MADE WERE TO IMPROVE

THE NATION'S EDUCATION AND HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS.

HIS REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT HAS CREATED 10,000 NEW CLASSROOMS,

AND THE SCHOOLS ARE BETTER THAN BEFORE CASTRO TOOK POWER,

AND DESPITE A LACK OF SUPPLIES, CUBA'S DOCTORS

ARE SOME OF THE BEST-TRAINED IN THE WORLD.

AND FINALLY THIS EVENING, WHAT WE MIGHT CALL MEDICUBA,

THE STORY OF WHAT HAPPENED TO AN INTREPID CORRESPONDENT OF OURS,

FRED FRANCIS, WHEN HE WENT TO CUBA TO COVER A POLITICAL EVENT

AND ENDED UP WITH A MEDICAL EVENT OF HIS OWN.

Francis: CALIXTO GARCIA HOSPITAL IN HAVANA

HAS ONE OF THE BUSIEST EMERGENCY ROOMS IN THIS HEMISPHERE.

IT HANDLES MORE THAN 700 PATIENTS A DAY.

ONLY A HANDFUL OF AMERICAN HOSPITALS,

LIKE BELLEVIEW IN NEW YORK AND COOK COUNTY IN CHICAGO,

CARE FOR THAT MANY PATIENTS EACH DAY,

AND THE QUALITY OF CARE HERE IS VERY GOOD.

IT IS ALSO FREE OF CHARGE.

ALL HEALTH CARE FOR CUBA'S 9.5 MILLION PEOPLE IS FREE.

I HAD TO BE RUSHED TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM ONE MORNING.

I WAS SUFFERING WITH SEVERE BURNING ABDOMINAL PAIN

IN MY LEFT SIDE.

I WAS IN THE HOSPITAL TWO DAYS, AND I COULD SEE EVIDENCE

OF THE AMERICAN ECONOMIC BLOCKADE EVERYWHERE.

MUCH OF THE EQUIPMENT WAS OLD.

THIS X-RAY MACHINE, USED IN A UROGRAM TEST

TO LOCATE MY KIDNEY STONES, WAS RUSTED.

THERE IS ALSO SHORTAGE OF BASIC HOSPITAL TOOLS

LIKE NEEDLES, SYRINGES, AND EVEN BED PANS.

I RECEIVED GOOD CARE AND GOOD DRUGS,

IN FACT, AMERICAN DRUGS.

MEDICINES FROM THE UNITED STATES COST A LOT MORE HERE

BECAUSE CUBA MUST GET THEM THROUGH CANADA AND MEXICO

TO CIRCUMVENT THE BLOCKADE.

Narrator: CASTRO MAKES A POINT OF SENDING

HIS WELL-TRAINED DOCTORS TO LEFT-LEANING ALLIED NATIONS

THROUGHOUT THE WORLD,

BUT IT'S NOT JUST DOCTORS CASTRO EXPORTS.

IT'S SOLDIERS AND WEAPONS OF WAR.

CASTRO BEGINS TAKING HIS HARDWARE OF REVOLUTION OVERSEAS.

Narrator: CASTRO STAYS TRUE TO HIS WORD.

HE SENDS CUBAN TROOPS TO ASSIST A GROUP OF REVOLUTIONARIES

FIGHTING FOR CONTROL OF ANGOLA.

THEY ARE CALLED THE MPLA.

Male reporter: BY THE MOST AUTHORITATIVE ESTIMATES,

CUBA SENT 18,000 TROOPS TO ANGOLA.

THIS ARMY LOOKS WELL-EQUIPPED, HAS NEW RUSSIAN WEAPONS,

AMPHIBIOUS TANKS, AND MODERN SAM MISSILE LAUNCHERS.

Narrator: THE ANGOLA CIVIL WAR BEGINS IN 1975

AFTER ANGOLA GAINS ITS INDEPENDENCE FROM PORTUGAL.

THE FIGHT BETWEEN TWO OPPOSING REBEL GROUPS

BECOMES A LIGHTNING ROD OF THE COLD WAR.

THE UNITED STATES AND SOUTH AFRICA

BACK THE REBEL GROUP

CALLED THE NATIONAL LIBERATION FRONT OF ANGOLA.

THE SOVIET UNION AND CUBA SEND TROOPS AND SUPPLIES TO THE MPLA.

CASTRO'S MOVE TO BECOME INVOLVED IN THE WAR

ENRAGES THE U.S. GOVERNMENT,

WHICH FEELS CASTRO IS EXPORTING HIS BRAND OF COMMUNISM.

CASTRO SAYS SENDING CUBAN TROOPS TO HELP THE MPLA,

WHICH ALIGNS ITSELF WITH CASTRO'S SOCIALIST BELIEFS,

IS HIS DUTY AS A REVOLUTIONARY.

Narrator: IN THE LATE 1970s,

SOME SAY HIS TOUGHNESS BEGINS TO SOFTEN.

Robin Lloyd: CUBA'S FIDEL CASTRO HAS OFTEN BEEN DESCRIBED

AS A MAN TOO AMBITIOUS FOR TOO SMALL A COUNTRY,

A REVOLUTIONARY, NOT A STATESMAN,

A MAN MANY LATIN AMERICAN LEADERS FEARED,

BUT NOW SOME POLITICAL ANALYSTS SAY AN OLDER,

MORE MODERATE CASTRO MAY BE TRYING TO CHANGE THAT IMAGE.

Narrator: IN 1980, AS A WAY OF RELIEVING POLITICAL UNREST,

CASTRO ALLOWS CUBANS WHO WISH TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY

TO DO JUST THAT.

CUBA'S ECONOMY IS SUFFERING.

TENSIONS ARE RUNNING HIGH.

WEARY OF CASTRO'S ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL REPRESSION,

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF CUBANS FLEE TO THE UNITED STATES.

THIS ACTION IS CALLED THE MARIEL BOATLIFT.

Lloyd: SOME TWO MILES OFF THE COAST OF CUBA,

THIS IS WHAT YOU SEE--

A SINGLE-FILE PROCESSION OF BOATS

EXTENDING FOR MILES ON THEIR WAY TO THE PORT OF MARIEL.

Male reporter: THE CUBAN PORT OF MARIEL

IS JAMMED WITH SHIPS OF ALL SIZES.

AT LATEST COUNT, 1,300 BOATS HAVE ARRIVED HERE.

Male reporter: THESE ARE THE PEOPLE

THAT THE CASTRO GOVERNMENT HAS CALLED

WORMS, BUMS, PROSTITUTES, AND PARASITES.

WHAT THEY DO SEEM TO BE IS A VERY HAPPY PEOPLE,

HAPPY TO BE LEAVING THE COUNTRY OF THEIR BIRTH

FOR A NEW START IN THE UNITED STATES.

[CASTRO SPEAKING SPANISH]

[CROWD CHEERING]

rrator: WITHIN MONTHS,

125,000 CUBANS HAVE EMIGRATED THE UNITED STATES.

THE BOATLIFT HAS BECOME A POLITICAL NIGHTMARE IN THE U.S.,

WITH MANY AMERICANS BURNED OUT

FROM THE NONSTOP ARRIVAL OF CASTRO'S CUBANS.

MANY BELIEVE CASTRO IS EMPTYING HIS JAILS

AND SENDING CRIMINALS TO FLORIDA.

AT THE END OF OCTOBER 1980,

CASTRO CLOSES THE PORT OF MARIEL TO BOATS FROM AMERICA.

IN TURN, THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT BANS THE ARRIVAL

OF ANY MORE IMMIGRANTS FROM CUBA.

THE END OF THE BOATLIFT COMES FIVE DAYS BEFORE RONALD REAGAN

IS ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE UNID STATES.

DURING HIS PRESIDENCY, THE TOUGH-TALKING REAGAN

DOES NOT MINCE WORDS WHEN IT COMES TO FIDEL CASTRO.

OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS, FIDEL CASTRO

HAS BEEN MAKING ANTI-AMERICAN SPEECHES

AND STAGING ANTI-AMERICAN RALLIES

AS HE CELEBRATES 25 YEARS IN POWER.

LAST NIGHT, IT WAS PRESIDENT REAGAN'S TURN

TO MARK THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE CUBAN REVOLUTION.

Reagan: THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION REMAINS,

WHERE IS CUBA HEADING?

CUBA'S ECONOMY IS INCAPABLE OF PROVIDING YOU

AND YOUR FAMILIES YOUR MOST ELEMENTARY NEEDS,

DESPITE MASSIVE SUBSIDIES FROM ABROAD,

BUT YOUR LEADERS TELL YOU, "DON'T COMPLAIN.

"DON'T EXPECT IMPROVEMENT.

JUST BE READY FOR MORE SACRIFICE,"

BUT WHY ARE YOUR LEADERS SO UNWILLING

TO LET YOU HEAR WHAT OTHERS THINK AND SAY?

IF THE POWER OF TRUTH IS ON THEIR SIDE,

WHY SHOULD THEY NEED TO CENSOR ANYONE'S VIEWS?

YOUR SYSTEM, WHICH YOU SAY WORKS VERY WELL,

IT DOES PRESUPPOSE THAT THE LEADERSHIP

OF THE COUNTRY, YOU, ARE ALWAYS RIGHT,

THAT YOU ARE INFALLIBLE.

IS THAT NOT SO?

Interpreter: NO. IT DOES NOT PRESUPPOSE THAT.

YOU WILL NOT SEE A STATUE OF ME ANYWHERE

NOR A SCHOOL WITH MY NAME

NOR A STREET

NOR A LITTLE TOWN

NOR ANY TYPE OF PERSONALITY CULT.

WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HONEST.

WE HAVE ALWAYS TOLD THEM THE TRUTH.

THESE PEOPLE KNOW THAT FROM THE GOVERNMENT,

A LIE HAS NEVER BEEN TOLD TO THEM,

AND I ASK YOU TO GO TO THE WORLD, TOUR THE WORLD,

AND GO TO THE UNITED STATES AND ASK IF THEY CAN SAY

WHAT I CAN SAY, THAT I HAVE NEVER TOLD A LIE TO THE PEOPLE.

BUT WHAT IF THEY DO DISAGREE

WITH THE REVOLUTION AND THEY'RE CUBAN?

WHY CAN'T THEY STAY HERE AND VOICE THEIR OPINION?

Interpreter: WE ACCEPT THEIR POSITION WITHIN THE REVOLUTION,

NOT AGAINST THE REVOLUTION.

NO ONE FORCES THEM TO STAY.

Narrator: MARIA SHRIVER IS THE NIECE

OF FORMER PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY,

AND SHE HAS A SPECIAL INTEREST IN QUESTIONING CASTRO.

Shriver: BACK IN THE EARLY SIXTIES,

THERE WERE REPORTS

OF MANY ASSASSINATION PLOTS AGAINST YOU.

THERE ARE THEORIES THAT YOU KNEW

ABOUT THESE ASSASSINATION PLOTS,

THAT YOU HELD PRESIDENT KENNEDY RESPONSIBLE,

AND THAT YOU, IN TURN,

WERE INVOLVED IN HIS ASSASSINATION.

[INTERPRETER SPEAKING SPANISH]

DID YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT?

Interpreter: I CAN'T ANSWER THAT QUESTION.

I DON'T ACCEPT THAT. NO, NO.

I CANNOT ACCEPT SUCH A CHARGE.

TO PLAN AN ACTION AGAINST THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

IS SOMETHING IRRESPONSIBLE, MAD,

BECAUSE I SAW IN KENNEDY AN ADVERSARY,

AN INTELLIGENT, A CAPABLE ONE.

THE DAY WHEN KENNEDY WAS MURDERED,

I FELT SOMETHING EMPTY.

ACTUALLY, IT HURT ME, I MUST TELL YOU VERY HONESTLY,

BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WAS AN UNFAIR DEATH.

Narrator: THROUGHOUT THE LATE 1980s,

CASTRO CONTINUES TO HAMMER AWAY AT THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT,

SAYING, DESPITE THE U.S. EMBARGO,

HIS REVOLUTION IS ALIVE AND WELL IN CUBA.

Dennis Murphy: IN HIS SPEECH, CASTRO TOLD A HUGE AUDIENCE

THAT THE AMERICAN EMBARGO OF CUBA HAD CAUSED HARDSHIP

BUT WAS ULTIMATELY GOOD BECAUSE IT DEMANDED

THAT CUBANS BECOME SELF-RELIANT,

BUT SELF-RELIANT IS NOT SELF-SUFFICIENT.

Narrator: AS CASTRO APPROACHES THE END

OF THREE DECADES OF RULE,

HIS ISLAND NATION REMAINS STRAPPED BY THE U.S. EMBARGO,

AND THERE'S NO END IN SIGHT.

ON DECEMBER 26, 1991,

THE BOTTOM DROPS OUT ON CASTRO'S CUBA.

THE SOVIET UNION COLLAPSES.

A MAJOR PERCENTAGE OF THE CUBAN ECONOMY

IS BASED ON TRADE OR AID FROM THE SOVIETS.

WITHOUT THAT INFLUX OF CASH,

CASTRO MUST NOW LEAD HIS PEOPLE

THROUGH ONE OF THE NATION'S DARKEST TIMES.

MANY BECOME DESPERATE AND RISK THEIR LIVES IN RAFTS

TO ESCAPE CASTRO'S CUBA.

CASTRO CALLS THIS THE SPECIAL PERIOD.

[APPLAUSE]

Narrator: DESPITE THE MASSIVE ECONOMIC STRUGGLES

GOING ON INSIDE CUBA, OUTSIDE OF HIS COUNTRY,

CASTRO MAINTAINS THE PERCEPTION OF BEING A WORLD LEADER.

IN 1995, HE TRAVELS TO NEW YORK

FOR THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNITED NATIONS.

Mike Wallace: I INTERVIEWED YOU FIRST IN 1960

WHEN YOU WERE HERE, MR. PRESIDENT,

AND WHAT HAPPENED?

WHAT HAPPENED TO DEMOCRACY? WHAT HAPPENED TO FREE ELECTIONS?

[CASTRO SPEAKING SPANISH]

WE DISCOVERED OTHER FORMULAS OF DEMOCRACY.

WE DISCOVERED DIFFERENT FORMULA, A MORE HONEST FORMULA

TO HAVE THE PEOPLE PARTICIPATE.

WE DISCOVERED THAT IT WAS BETTER THAN THE AMERICANS'.

Narrator: AS HE HAS DONE BEFORE, CASTRO IS ABLE

TO USE HIS CHARISMA TO WIN OVER EVEN HIS HARSHEST CRITICS...

Translator: A DIFFERENT STYLE, YOU KNOW?

[SPEAKS SPANISH]

[LAUGHTER]

Narrator: BUT THERE IS NO SOFTENING OF POLITICAL RELATIONS

BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND CASTRO.

A CUBAN MILITARY JET SHOOTS DOWN TWO CIVILIAN AIRPLANES

JUST ONE YEAR AFTER HIS VISIT TO NEW YORK.

CASTRO CLAIMS THE AIRPLANES VIOLATED CUBAN AIRSPACE.

THE PLANES ARE FROM THE UNITED STATES.

AT THE CONTROLS OF THE AIRCRAFT ARE FOUR PILOTS

FROM AN ORGANIZATION CALLED BROTHERS TO THE RESCUE.

THE GROUP GIVES ASSISTANCE TO CUBANS

FLEEING THEIR COUNTRY BY BOAT.

ALL FOUR OF THE PILOTS ARE KILLED.

Male reporter; JUST FOUR DAYS AFTER CUBA

SHOT THE TWO U.S. CIVILIAN PLANES OUT OF THE SKY,

CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT CAME TO TERMS

ON THE NEW STEPS AGAINST CUBA.

THE BILL AIMS TO ECONOMICALLY STRANGLE CASTRO

BY DISCOURAGING ALL FOREIGN INVESTMENT IN CUBA.

Bill Clinton: IT WILL SEND A POWERFUL, UNIFIED MESSAGE

FROM T UNITED STATES TO HAVANA THAT THE YEARNING

OF THE CUBAN PEOPLE FOR FREEDOM MUST NOT BE DENIED.

Narrator: THE ADDITIONAL SANCTIONS AGAINST CUBA

INCLUDE THE RIGHT OF THE UNITED STATES TO HALT TRADE

WITH ANY NON-U.S. COMPANY THAT DOES BUSINESS WITH CUBA,

FORCING COMPANIES TO CHOOSE--

DO BUSINESS WITH CASTRO

OR DO BUSINESS WITH THE UNITED STATES.

THREE YEARS LATER, THE BATTLE BETWEEN CASTRO AND THE U.S.

EVOLVES INTO AN UNEXPECTED WAR OF WORDS,

THIS TIME, IN A CUSTODY BATTLE

OVER A SIX-YEAR-OLD REFUGEE NAMED ELIAN GONZALEZ.

Pat Neal: THE BOY WAS FOUND FLOATING IN AN INNER TUBE

OFF THE COAST OF FORT LAUDERDALE.

FRIDAY, THE BODIES OF TWO WOMEN WERE FOUND OFF FORT PIERCE

AND JUPITER, FLORIDA, INCLUDING THE BOY'S MOTHER.

Male reporter: SIX-YEAR-OLD ELIAN GONZALEZ

NOW POSES AN INTERNATIONAL CUSTODY DILEMMA.

HERE HE IS PLAYING WITH COUSINS IN MIAMI

FOLLOWING THE EMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION SERVICES

PRONOUNCEMENT THAT HE CAN STAY IN THE UNITED STATES LEGALLY

WITH HIS AUNT AND UNCLE.

THE BOY'S BIOLOGICAL FATHER LIVES IN CARDENAS, CUBA,

AND SAID ON CUBAN TELEVISION OVER THE WEEKEND

HE WANTS ELIAN RETURNED TO HIM.

HIS RELATIVES IN MIAMI DO NOT PLAN TO COMPLY.

[CHANTING]

Susan Candiotti: THE BOY REMAINS A POSTER CHILD FOR CUBAN EXILES.

THEY'VE MADE HIM A MYTHICAL FIGURE

AND A SYMBOL OF DEFIANCE AGAINST A COMMUNIST REGIME.

[APPLAUSE]

FIDEL CASTRO HAS ALSO MADE THE BOY A SYMBOL,

CRITICIZING THE U.S., AS HE SAYS IT,

FOR "COW-TOWING TO THE CUBAN-EXILE MAFIA."

Male reporter: FEDERAL AGENTS ARRIVE 130 STRONG

UNDER THE COVER OF DARKNESS SHORTLY AFTER 5 A.M.

[MEN SHOUTING]

THE SIX-YEAR-OLD WAS FOUND IN A BEDROOM CLOSET

WITH ONE OF THE FISHERMAN WHO HAD RESCUED THE BOY

OFF THE COAST OF FLORIDA LAST NOVEMBER.

IT IS TIME FOR THIS LITTLE BOY,

WHO HAS BEEN THROUGH SO VERY MUCH,

TO MOVE ON WITH LIFE AT HIS FATHER'S SIDE.

Narrator: WHEN GEORGE W. BUSH BECOMES PRESIDENT IN 2001

AFTER A CONTESTED ELECTION WITH AL GORE,

CASTRO WASTES NO TIME IN CRITICIZING AMERICA

FOR THE MANNER OF HIS ELECTION.

CASTRO SAYS ELECTIONS IN HIS COUNTRY

ARE FREE FROM THAT KIND OF SCANDAL.

Translator: HE WAS NOT ELECTED.

HE WAS APPOINTED PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

OUR ELECTIONS ARE 10 TIMES CLEANER THAN THE ELECTIONS

LIKE THOSE IN WHICH HE WAS ELECTED.

HOW CAN ANYONE TALK ABOUT FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION...

[SPEAKING SPANISH]

Translator: WHEN A PRESIDENT NEEDS...

$1.5 BILLION IN ADVERTISING

TO SELL AN IMAGE OF HIMSELF?

TODAY THERE IS ONLY ONE NATION IN OUR HEMISPHERE

THAT IS NOT A DEMOCRACY, ONLY ONE.

Narrator: PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH

CALLS FOR FREE ELECTIONS IN CUBA

AS A WAY TO EASE THE UNITED STATES EMBARGO.

THERE'S ONLY ONE NATIONAL LEADER WHOSE POSITION OF POWER

OWES MORE TO BULLETS THAN BALLOTS.

FIDEL CASTRO HAS A CHANCE TO ESCAPE THIS LONELY

AND STAGNANT ISOLATION.

IF HE ACCEPTS OUR OFFER, HE CAN BRING HELP TO HIS PEOPLE

AND HOPE TO OUR RELATIONS,

AND THE CHOICE RESTS WITH MR. CASTRO.

Narrator: CASTRO SAYS THE EMBARGO IS BASED

SOLELY ON POLITICS IN THE UNITED STATES

AND MOST AMERICANS WANT IT ENDED,

BUT HE FEARS LIFTING THE EMBARGO

WOULD CREATE A DIFFERENT KIND OF DISASTER FOR HIS COUNTRY.

[SPEAKING SPANISH]

Interpreter: LET ME KNOW IN ADVANCE SO I CAN MOVE AWAY

BECAUSE AN INVASION OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS

OF AMERICAN CITIZENS IS ENOUGH TO MAKE US MOVE AWAY.

Narrator: IN JULY 2006,

CASTRO UNDERGOES SURGERY FOR INTESTINAL BLEEDING.

CUBANS ARE NOTIFIED OF CASTRO'S ILLNESS

IN AN ANNOUNCEMENT MADE BY CASTRO'S SECRETARY

CARLOS VALENCIAGA,

WHO READS A LETTER WRITTEN BY CASTRO.

Narrator: TWO YEARS LATER IN 2008,

CASTRO OFFICIALLY STEPS DOWN,

HANDING OVER HIS COUNTRY'S PRESIDENCY

TO HIS BROTHER RAUL.

Man: RAUL CASTRO RUIZ.

[APPLAUSE]

Narrator: U.S. PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH

IS IN RWANDA WHEN HE HEARS THE NEWS.

SO I VIEW THIS AS A PERIOD OF TRANSITION,

AND IT SHOULD BE THE BEGINNING OF THE DEMOCRATIC TRANSITION

FOR THE PEOPLE IN CUBA.

Narrator: DESPITE PRESIDENT BUSH'S HOPE

FOR A DEMOCRATIC CUBA,

AS CASTRO'S BROTHER RAUL TAKES CONTROL OF THE COUNTRY,

HE VOWS TO KEEP FIDEL'S VISION FOR CUBA ALIVE AND WELL.

THE NATION WILL REMAIN COMMUNIST.

RAUL CASTRO HAS SAID,

"THE REVOLUTION HAS GONE ON FOR 50 YEARS,

AND IT WILL CONTINUE FOR 50 MORE."

FOR THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN CASTRO'S REVOLUTION,

HE WILL ALWAYS BE THE FATHER OF THE NATION.

HIS FIGHT IN THE SIERRA MAESTRA MOUNTAINS

IS THE STUFF OF CUBAN LEGEND.

Narrator: THE CHARISMA AND COMPLEXITY HE SHOWED

FROM HIS EARLIEST DAYS OF POWER NEVER FALTERED.

Narrator: AT EVERY TURN THROUGH FIVE DECADES,

CASTRO DEFIED THE UNITED STATES.

Bush: DESPITE ALL HIS TOOLS OF OPPRESSION,

FIDEL CASTRO WILL NEED TO ANSWER TO HIS PEOPLE.

Male announcer: THIS PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE IN PARTT

BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATIONS FROM...